Majoring in STEM? An Inquiry into the Major Choice of Native and Immigrant Students. Ning Jia University of Notre Dame 2014 AIR Forum, Orlando, FL

Transcription

1 Majoring in STEM? An Inquiry into the Major Choice of Native and Immigrant Students Ning Jia University of Notre Dame 2014 AIR Forum, Orlando, FL

2 Acknowledgements This material is based upon work supported by the Association for Institutional Research, the National Science Foundation, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative under the Association for Institutional Research Grant Number DG Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Association for Institutional Research, the National Science Foundation, the National Center for Education Statistics or the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative.

3 Motivation STEM education as a top national priority One million more college graduates with STEM degrees than what are expected at the current rate over the next decade Supply shortage of skilled STEM workers Long-term prosperity Reaffirming and strengthening America s role as the world s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century. President Obama, Educate to Innovate, 2009

4 Motivation Immigrants in the STEM workforce NSF: 24 percent of college educated STEM workers were foreign born, twice their share in the working population Innovation and invention Hunt and Loiselle (2010), Kerr and Lincoln (2010) Labor market outcomes Bojas(2009), Peri (2009) Immigrants in the STEM pipeline in college?

5 Research Question Immigrants in the STEM pipeline in college Are immigrant students more likely to enter and persist in STEM majors than native students? What are the factors contributing to their higher college STEM attainment? Ultimate goal Inform policy-making

6 Literature on College Major Choice Academic ability Turner and Bowen (1999), Smyth and McArdle (2004), Crisp et al. (2009) Preferences Smart et al. (2000), Porter and Umbach (2006), Hilmer and Hilmer (2012) Expected earnings Cannings et al. (2002), Beffy et al. (2012)

7 Data and Sample Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 2004/09 NCES, educational experiences of a nationally representative sample of students who first started college during the academic year, follow-up surveys at the end of the third and sixth year after entering college Large sample size Diversity: 11.8% foreign born, 12.4% foreign-born parents Detailed student information: demographic characteristics, family backgrounds, academic achievement etc.

8 Data and Sample Define Immigrant Status Native students Second generation students: foreign-born parent(s) First generation students: foreign-born Non-recent / 1.5 generation: Came before kindergarten, attended US K-12 school Recent / 1 st generation: Came after kindergarten, attended foreign K-12 school International / 0.5 generation: Came after high school

9 Data and Sample Define STEM Majors (NCES) STEM Biological and biomedical sciences Computer/Information science/support Engineering Mathematics and statistics Physical sciences Engineering technologies/related fields Non-STEM Social sciences History; Psychology; Public administration/ social service etc. Humanities Architecture; Visual and performing arts; Communication/ journalism; English; Foreign language etc. Education Business Health professions Legal professions

10 Data and Sample STEM Entry Ever majored in STEM fields Based on major in , 2006, 2009 STEM Persistence Remained in STEM fields Still Enrolled as STEM major in 2009 Not enrolled but attained a STEM degree

11 0.43 College STEM Attainment by Immigrant Status Gen 1st Gen 1.5 Gen 2nd Gen Native STEM Entry STEM Persistence

12 Estimation STEM i = β 0 + β 1 IM i + ɛ i i: individual student i STEM STEM entry STEM persistence IM Immigrant status dummies Native students as the comparison group β 1 Raw immigrant/native college STEM gap

13 Results Table1 Immigrant/ Native College STEM Attainment Gap STEM Entry STEM Persistence 0.5 Gen.2121*** (.0699) 1 st Gen.1109*** (.0266) 1.5 Gen.0348 (.0283) 2 nd Gen.0206 (.0157).0991*** (.0399).0822*** (.0212).0358* (.0215).0062 (.0109) N Notes: Regressions are weighted. Standard errors are in parentheses. Number of observations is rounded to the nearest 10 to comply with he NCES restricted use data license.

14 Estimation STEM i = β 0 + β 1 IM i + β 2 X i + ɛ i Socioeconomic status (SES) Age, race, gender, family income, parents education Preferences Claimed important goals Academic preparation Years of math in high school, years of science in high school, highest level of math, SAT math test scores

15 Results - SES Age Male Black Asian Income percentile College educated 0.5 Gen st Gen Gen nd Gen Natives Notes: Means are weighted.

16 Results - SES Table 2 Immigrant/ Native College STEM Attainment Gap STEM Entry STEM Persistence 0.5 Gen.2121*** (.0699).1791*** (.0680).0991*** (.0399).0872*** (.0383) 1 st Gen.1109*** (.0266).1102*** (.0267).0822*** (.0212).0864*** (.0214) 1.5 Gen.0348 (.0283).0335 (.0289).0358* (.0215).0365 (.0223) 2 nd Gen.0206 (.0157).0292* (.0161).0062 (.0109).0141 (.0111) SES Y Y N Notes: Regressions are weighted. Standard errors are in parentheses. Number of observations is rounded to the nearest 10 to comply with the NCES restricted use data license.

17 Results - Preferences Is the following aspect important? Being financially well-off; Having steady work; Being recognized as an expert in the field; Being a community leader; Influencing the political structure; Having leisure time; Having children; Living close to parents and relatives etc. Preference dummy variables

18 Results - Preferences Table 3 Immigrant/ Native College STEM Attainment Gap 0.5 Gen.1791*** (.0680) 1 st Gen.1102*** (.0267) 1.5 Gen.0335 (.0289) STEM Entry.1739*** (.0659).1085*** (.0264).0334 (.0289) STEM Persistence.0872*** (.0383).0864*** (.0214).0365 (.0223).0842** (.0390).0846* (.0213).0363 (.0222) 2 nd Gen.0292* (.0161).0297* (.0162).0141 (.0111).0146 (.0111) SES Y Y Y Y Preferences Y Y N Notes: Regressions are weighted. Standard errors are in parentheses. Number of observations is rounded to the nearest 10 to comply with the NCES restricted use data license.

19 Results - Academic Preparation Years of Math Years of Science Advanced Math SAT Math 0.5 Gen st Gen Gen nd Gen Natives Notes: Means are weighted. Advanced math courses include pre-calculus and above.

20 Results - Academic Preparation Table 4 Immigrant/ Native College STEM Attainment Gap 0.5 Gen.1739*** (.0659) 1 st Gen.1085*** (.0264) 1.5 Gen.0334 (.0289) 2 nd Gen.0297* (.0162) STEM Entry.1158* (.0651).0834*** (.0256).0217 (.0276).0196 (.0158) STEM Persistence.0842** (.0390).0846* (.0213).0363 (.0222).0146 (.0111).0369 (.0370).0629*** (.0207).0266 (.0208).0050 (.0107) SES Y Y Y Y Preferences Y Y Y Y Academics Y Y N Notes: Regressions are weighted. Standard errors are in parentheses. Number of observations is rounded to the nearest 10 to comply with the NCES restricted use data license.

21 Conclusion and Future Work Compared to native students, recent immigrant students are more likely to enter and persist in STEM fields Better math academic preparation is the most important factor driving their higher college STEM attainment High school math reform A Nation at Risk 1983 No Child Left Behind 2011

22 Conclusion and Future Work Unexplained gap Labor market Construct immigrant/native wage gap using ACS data Culture A high amount of prestige on STEM education and STEM occupations

23 Thank you!